Chess Moves September/October 2011 by Andrew Walker

Long Road to Sheffield

The photographs included in the Sheffield article and of Amy Hoare are by Brendan O’Gorman - thanks, Brendan. You can see more of Brendan’s work here - https://picasaweb.google.com/105059642136123716017

by the ECF’s own Andrew Farthing ...

For me, the 2011 British Championships started with a bang. Or more precisely, a rather loud clunk. Sunday, 24th July, 6.32 p.m. The Worcestershire Open Congress – a tournament so wonderful that only an event as grand and important as the British Championships dare follow it – was over for another year. Everything seemed to have gone smoothly and I had helped my fellow organisers clear up and was in my car leaving the University of Worcester campus. Crossing a speed bump at what I thought was a suitably sedate pace, I heard the said clunk and saw in my rear view mirror the sorrylooking remains of my antique Astra’s exhaust. Backing up to collect the debris, I was passed by a taxi, the driver of which completed my humiliation with a cheery, “Is that yours, mate?” (continued on Page 6)

ECF News

Members of the Governance Committee Richard Haddrell and Andrew Leadbetter

(nominated by the Chairman of the Governance Committee)

CANDIDATES for ELECTION

at the ECF AGM on 15th October 2011

* denotes an incumbent director, FIDE Delegate or Chairman of a Standing Committee seeking re-election to the same post.

President CJ de Mooi* Chief Executive Andrew Farthing* Non-Executive Chairman Mike Gunn* Director of Finance Gareth Caller*

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ECF Awards Congress of the Year 2011

(nominated by the Chief Executive and by the Director of Marketing)

This year we have selected the 2nd London Chess Classic held in December 2010 for the award. Held at Olympia and the brainchild of Malcolm Pein, this event’s line up included some of the world’s best Grandmasters, as well as the World Champion, Viswanathan Anand. Probably the best event in Britain in 2010 – this was a well deserved award

2 Non-Executive Directors John Wickham* and Jack Rudd* Director of Home Chess Adam Raoof* Director of International Chess Lawrence Cooper* Director of Junior Chess and Education Phil Ehr

Website of the Year 2011

(nominated by the Director of Home Chess and by the London Chess Classic)

Once again we received several nominations and we were impressed with the high standard of the entries. The Award Committee were agreed that the award should go to the Witney Chess Club site http://www.witneychess.co.uk/ The webmaster is Steve Connor and he has agreed that the award should be made to the Club

Sabrina Chevannes

(nominated by the Director of International Chess)

Director of Marketing Tim Woolgar

(nominated by the Director of Marketing and by the Chief Executive)

FIDE Delegate Nigel Short* Chairman of the Finance Committee No candidate Members of the Finance Committee Ray Clark and Ian Reynolds

President’s Awards 2011 Mike Colebrook, Mike Truran, Kevin Thurlow, Syd Cassidy, Dave Thomas (full citations on the ECF website)

(nominated by the Chairman of the Governance Committee)

Mike Colebrook – Record of Achievement Grimsby Chess Club Club Secretary 1964 to 1967 & 1990 to 1993 Club Treasurer 1971 to 1972 Club President 1973 to 1984 Club Champion 1978/79 & 1979/80 Responsible for moving the club to Cherry Valley Canteen in 1986 where it stayed until 1998, this move laid the playing and financial foundation that the club is built on today. Mike was awarded Life Membership in recognition of all the valuable work for Grimsby Chess Club. Lincolnshire Chess Association League Secretary 1971 to 1972, 1976 to 1977, 1991 to 1994 & 1996 to 2010.

John Philpott

(nominated by the Chief Executive)

Chairman of the Governance Committee John Philpott*

(nominated by the Bronowski Trophy, by the Chess Endgame Study Circle, by the Essex Chess Association, by the Insurance Chess Club and by the North Essex Chess League)

CONTENTS

Long Road to Sheffield FC, 6 ECF News - 2 Awards - 2 Uxbridge/Amy Hoare - 11 Junior - 13 Grand Prix - 15

International - 17 Results - 17 National Club - 20 BOTY shortlist - 21 ChEx Bookshelf - 22 Book Reviews - 24 Batsford - 25 Calendar - 26

First Team match captain 1973 to 1974 MCCU Delegate 1973 to 1983 Secretary 1974 to 1991 & 2002 to 2010 Grading Officer 1974 to 1981 Treasurer 1981 to 1990 Newsletter Editor 1981 to 1983, 1987 to 1989, 1992 to 1995 & 1998 to 1999 Second Team match captain 1992 to 1993 President 1993 to 2001

and his serious illness a few years ago have been such a benefit to so many players. He is respected by many for his contributions to the chess community for a period of over forty years. There can be no one more deserving of an ECF President’s Award than Kevin J Thurlow. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Syd Cassidy - citation by Dave Cole et al

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Mike Truran - citation by David Sedgwick Mike Truran has a longstanding involvement in chess organisation in Oxfordshire and in the West of England, but he is best known for his association with the 4NCL throughout the eighteen years of its existence. His first involvement was as a team captain, but he soon became one of the most important members of its Board. When the 4NCL was founded, there were many who said that it would not last, not least because of the difficulty of finding satisfactory hotel venues and making suitable arrangements with them. Mike has worked tirelessly at that demanding task. Today over 400 players participate at each 4NCL weekend. Mike has also been responsible for agreeing the 4NCL’s arrangements with the BCF/ ECF. Those of us who have been on the other side of these discussions know him to be a forceful but very fair negotiator. Mike also served with distinction as one of the first Non-Executive Directors of the ECF. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kevin J Thurlow - citation by Ian Pheby Kevin, who is 57, learned to play chess when he was four years old. Since then, Kevin has had an outstanding career in both the organisation of and playing chess to a high level at Club, National and International levels. He is a Candidate Master and an ECF Arbiter. He has actively promoted chess for everyone at local, National and International level since 1969 which has included his work as an arbiter, coaching juniors and adults, running his local Club (Redhill), organising and running events, columnist and publisher, etc. You will see from his record below that Kevin has held many posts simultaneously carrying out the duties of each post to a very high standard. His dedication and unfailing energy to chess despite the pressures of a difficult and time consuming job

On behalf of Cumbria Chess Association and the NCCU, I would like to nominate Syd Cassidy of Austin Friars/Carlisle chess club for the ECF President’s award. Syd is retiring from teaching at the end of the summer term and is returning to Ireland , where he has his home. Syd has been outstanding in his service to chess over 20 years in Cumbria . I am sure the list below is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of chess organisation that Syd has been involved in. Syd is an inspirational coach, mentor and organiser and a League controller that has had fewer disputes than any of his predecessors. This is testament to his gracious good nature and no doubt Irish sense of humour, which invariably will quell any dissent. In other words, Syd gets on with everyone and I don’t know of a single person who has a bad word for Syd or a bad experience at his events. He started the Austin Friars school chess club in Carlisle over 20 years ago and encouraged hundreds of Juniors to join and play in the club over the years. Indeed, many still play and are members of the ECF. Following on from this he entered the club into the Cumbria Chess Association and many adults have subsequently joined. In recent years as Carlisle club has diminished, Austin Friars has flourished to such a point that Carlisle effectively ceased to exist. But given Syd’s tact, he re-badged Austin Friars as ‘ Carlisle ‘ and the club is in good health. Junior participation and junior events is Syd’s passion and was rewarded in 1997 when Austin Friars was awarded the NCCU Schools Award for outstanding achievement. Syd has run countless Junior events such as the Cumbria Junior Championships, the NCCU Junior championships and various junior jamborees. He is a close collaborator with Paul Bielby and jointly they have hosted events every year for Juniors in the North. Syd has also been very generous not only with his time and commitment, but also has on many an occasion dipped into his own pocket to help out financially, such as taking Juniors to Mega-Finals. Syd, set up and still runs the Cumbria Chess website, which is one of the clearest and informative in the UK

chess community. Check it out athttp://www.cumbriachess.org.uk As well as promoting chess in England, Syd has been successful in organising cross-border matches with Clubs such as Dumfries and encouraged Scottish players to take part in Cumbrian events as well as interCounty matches with the setting up of the South Tyne League, with Cumbrian and Northumbrian clubs taking part. Although junior events are his prime target, he has been active in a number of roles in the County.

The Harrow Club meets at Victoria Hall, Sheepcote Road, Harrow, Middlesex HA1 2JE, on Thursday nights from 7.30pm – 10.30pm, with coaching of Juniors from 6.00pm – 7.15pm. Our season runs continuously from the first Thursday in September until the second in July, with the exception of dates immediately adjacent to Christmas and New Year. Adult members Harrow membership has continued to grow, this season the club had eight adult teams and two junior teams competing in three league competitions. There have been issues with fixture congestion running ten teams, with as many as four home matches being held on a single evening. Steps will be taken next year to provide more space to accommodate the Junior coaching and home league matches. The most notable achievement in 2010-11 was that the Hillingdon league A team won both the Division 1 title and the Knock-out trophy for the third consecutive year, a unique achievement. The team beat local rivals Hayes 4-1 in the final to complete the hat-trick. There were three other adult teams entered in the lower two divisions of the Hillingdon league. The Thames Valley A team finished second in Division 1, which is a great performance in their first season back in the top flight. The newly promoted Thames Valley B team finished mid-table in Division 2. The Harrow Middlesex first and second adult teams finished mid-table in Divisions 2 and 3 respectively.

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Dave Thomas - citation by John Wickham The ECF Board unanimously agreed to make this award to Dave in recognition of his many years of devoted service to chess both in the Birmingham League and as a member of the BCF Management Board. Dave is also extremely active as an ECF Senior Arbiter being involved in the running of Congresses and in assisting at the British Championships. In addition he has assisted the ECF in many areas including IT and Grading. This short resume just highlights the work Dave has done for chess. The award is a well deserved honour. Club of the Year 2011 - Harrow Chess Club (citation by Ian Cross)

Junior members Harrow members have put in a lot of hard work again this season developing the Junior section of the club. The Juniors are coached by Harrow club member IM Colin Crouch. Two Harrow junior teams were entered in the Hillingdon league again this season. The Juniors have been encouraged to enter the Middlesex MegaFinals again this year, as part of the English Chess Federation’s National Competition.

Harrow’s History Harrow Chess Club was founded by Mr A A Sainsbury on 14th January 1907. Harrow Chess Club celebrated its centenary on 14th January 2007. During its long history the club has competed in the Middlesex, Thames Valley, London and Hillingdon leagues and the English National Club Championship. Notable visitors to the club include: - F D Yates, 6 times British Champion, who gave simultaneous displays at the club in 1931 and 1932 - G Koltanowski, the Belgian Master, who gave a blindfold simultaneous display at the club in 1937 - B H Wood, who gave a simultaneous display at the club in 1940 - Leonard Barden, who made three visits to the club during the 1960s and 1970s - GM Tony Miles, who gave a simultaneous display at the club in 1982 - GM Simon Williams, who gave a 42 board simultaneous display at the club in 2010.

Support for external chess organisations The Harrow members have links to external chess organisations. Two Harrow members serve on the Thames Valley league committee, one of whom holds the post of league secretary. Furthermore, two Harrow members serve on the Hillingdon league committee, holding the posts of league secretary and league controller.

Harrow internal tournaments and special events Harrow ran the Club Championship Swiss, Quick-play, Lightning and Handicap internal tournaments again this year and they proved to be popular as ever. A total

the club would be happy to help with the school chess club. We are waiting for this to be organised and are hoping to attract more players to our friendly club by assisting with more junior development.

of forty six players have contested the Club Championship this season. This season special events included the annual club trip to the Bourne End congress with fourteen club members competing. A thirty board simultaneous display by GM Stuart Conquest against Harrow club members is scheduled for June 9th at the Club’s premises. For the second successive year Harrow will be play a 20 board friendly match against St Albans at their venue on June 20th.

The club actively supports county chess both in administration and with players in the team. I am the current Somerset county president and have acted as stand in county captain. Sedgemoor regularly have 3/or 4 players in the county team. Until some of talented junior went to university last autumn we could have as many as 8 players in the county team.

Harrow local community links A chess demonstration was held by Harrow chess club in the Gayton Library on Sunday 28 November 2010 to give people who visit the library an opportunity to have a game of chess and meet club members. This event has been organised annually by Harrow club for many years and brings chess into the local community.

The club is active in the local leagues, having one team in all 3 divisions. We have been successful over the years having won all divisions and the KO cup over the last few years. This season we have are the second division champions. We try to encourage our lower graded players and our juniors to play leagues matches, as we feel that this helps to develop their chess. We only have one disabled player (he is in a wheel chair) the club encourages him to play the all home 3 division matches. He is unable to travel to away matches.

Website and Club magazine A full history of the club and this season’s results can be viewed at the club’s website: www.harrowchessclub.org.uk The club magazine ‘Harrow Chess Pieces’ marked its 200th edition in May 2010. The first edition was produced in September 1971 and has completed 39 years of continuous publication under the sole editorship of Roy Maddock, who next season celebrates his 50th year as a club member. The magazine includes chess puzzles and cartoons, feature articles, details of club events, plus match and club tournament results.

We are fortunate to have a very good club room, with a fairly low rent. This enables us to keep annual subscription low, even so anyone who is not working or on low income, we are happy to reduce or even not charge any subs. Club members regularly support local congresses and rapid plays by taking part in their events. Once every year we place a display in the local library promoting our club and chess, this has attracted some new players to the club and been a worthwhile exercise .A couple of times of the last few years we have tried to raise the profile of our club by inviting well know international players to give simultaneous displays. We gave a donation to Jovanka Houska to assist her in her to play in the world championships and she very generously came to our club to give us a simultaneous display. This was a great success with everyone really enjoying the evening.

Small Club of the Year - Sedgemoor Chess Club (citation by Chris McKinley) I would like to enter our club, Sedgemoor, based in Bridgwater in Somerset, in the President’s Awards2010 for the Small Club of the Year. We are a small friendly club; we welcome everyone at our club by offering free tea and coffee and a few games of chess. We have about 12 members with an age range between about 12 to over 80. Our oldest member has been playing competitive chess for over 60 years. At the other end of the age range we have been lucky to have helped develop some good junior players over the years. Joe Jervis played for the England juniors and Ben Edgell became county captain and in 2008/09 season led the team to the west of England county championship, undefeated. Two of our current junior players attend a local secondary school which holds an after school chess club. I have recently contacted the school suggesting that

The club has been going for several years and we hope to continue enjoying and promoting chess in the area for many years to come. NOTE- the above was submitted for 2010 and the following updates to 2011. The only difference this year is that we have lost a couple of players to work commitments. This means that we have only entered teams in the first and third divisions. Everything else is as per last year’s entry. 5

Long Road to Sheffield

the main Championship games, alongside the various events and championships for club players, juniors and seniors. If one has the stamina, it is possible to play in both morning and afternoon events during each of the two weeks, plus a five-round congress on the middle weekend. A few brave souls do attempt this every year.

(continued from the front cover)

Monday, 25th July. Day One of the strongest ever British Championships and yours truly is off to witness the opening ceremony and soak up the excitement... except for the minor detail that instead I spent the morning at my friendly neighbourhood exhaust fitter watching my bank balance shrink in a cloud of rust. It’s hard to know how to react when a mechanic says to you, “It wasn’t your fault, mate. The attachment was so rusty that your exhaust probably would have fallen off if you’d sneezed too hard. That’s what you get with cars this old.” Gratifying as it is to be mates with so many new acquaintances, I couldn’t help feeling a little depressed.

To the non-aficionado, scenes like this are a source of wonder. Non-players tend to endow chess players with a mystique few of us deserve (but all of us enjoy), and the sight of hundreds of people lost in silent concentration is undeniably impressive. Unlike most visitors to the Championships, I didn’t see a lot of chess. Most of my day was filled with impromptu meetings with fellow Board members, the event controllers and other chess luminaries, not to mention chats with various friends from the congress circuit. I am pleased to say that I managed to squeeze in a visit to the commentary room on the first floor, where Andrew Martin and “Ravi” (V. Ravikumar) held forth on the top games from the Championship to a packed house. I’ve seen Andrew in full flow before,

Tuesday, 26th July. Sheffield at last! The first thing I noticed was how incredibly accessible the venue was. Bish bosh – up the M1, onto a dual carriageway, turn right (clearly signposted) at a roundabout and you’re there. For even the most navigationally challenged, this must have been one of the easiest Championship venues to find that there has ever been.

In the commentary room

Upon entering the Ponds Forge complex, the visitor is struck at once by large banners advertising the championship. Unfortunately, the championship in question was something to do with swimming, a sport blessed with state support, sponsorship, TV coverage and an abundance of money. The signs for the Darwin Strategic British Chess Championship were somewhat more discreetly positioned by the entrance to the playing area. If you’ve never participated in or visited the British Chess Championships, I heartily recommend it. It has a sense of occasion not found at your typical English congress – and I say this as a big fan of typical English chess congresses – and there is an undeniable scale to the event which impresses. Only the London Chess Classic in recent times surpasses it, which is no disgrace at all. The main playing hall is huge, containing several hundred players and a smattering of spectators. At the far end, four large TV screens relay the moves of the top boards as they are played on the auto-sensory boards. The top boards are laid out on individual tables in front of these screens, with a couple of rows of seats for spectators. It was gratifying to see these rows well occupied, with standing room only at times. The rest of the hall is packed with the remainder of

live and online, and he was in particularly splendid form in Sheffield: engaging, informative and very, very funny. Attendance in the commentary room was free of charge and seats were hard to find after a while.

My final act of the day was to see how my Worcester City club mate, Steve Mellor, was getting on. Steve had qualified for the main Championship for the first time by winning the York congress at the start of the year. For players like Steve, it’s not cheap to take part and the over-the-board rewards are more likely to be some tough chess lessons rather than points, but he clearly relished the experience.

Meeting. However, the lure of an exciting finish with Short and Adams tied for the lead, proved too strong, so I hit the road again.

I caught up with Steve just as he resigned his round 2 game and wandered up to sit in on the post mortem with his higher-rated opponent. For most of the time, I sat silently admiring the depth of calculation in the variations coming out of the players’ mouths. Only right at the end, when the players came towards the end of a long and complicated analysis to reach a far from clear position did my moment of glory arrive, suggesting a decisive rook sacrifice which neither player had spotted.

Michael Adams, British Champion

It’s amazing how the satisfaction of such moments overshadows the dreary reality that I normally see only a fraction of what the Championship players routinely calculate. As I left to return to my car and the joys of the M1, I thought about Short, Adams, Howell, Jones and co. as a small voice inside was saying, “That could be you next time...” Nigel Short

After my fellow congress addicts Dean Hartley and Alan Fraser received the splendid trophies (donated by CCF Mindgames) for winning their sections of the ECF Grand Prix, the games got underway. Nigel Short gave heart to all of us who wouldn’t know a mainstream opening if it bit us on the nose by wheeling out 1...Nc6 in response to 1.d4 but never looked like he was going to win his game. Mickey Adams had a tough battle with rising star Yang-Fan Zhou. In the commentary room, Andrew Martin grew excited about Yang-Fan’s prospects at one stage and an upset briefly seemed possible, but I suspect that Mickey had things under control. In the end, the top two games were drawn and the Saturday morning play-off was on! Finally, after nearly 150 hours of competition and on the last day of the longest event in the English chess calendar, I had managed to watch some chess.

Saturday, 30th July. Back in Sheffield for a second visit. The Championship has been very tight from the outset, and the destination of the title is still in very much in the balance.

- Andrew Farthing

With all of this excitement, what sane person wouldn’t choose to spend the day following the games? Not me! The ECF Board meeting kicked off at 11 o’clock and filled the next six hours, followed in quick succession by a meeting about the 2012 event for another two. When I emerged, a few of the Championship games were still in play, but my brain had turned to mush and I headed home. Friday, 5th August. The final round. I hadn’t planned to visit Sheffield again. My “To do” list had reached a second sheet and I really ought to have spent the day working on papers for the ECF Annual General

Stewart Reuben

Gawain Jones

Jovanka Houska, British Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Champion

Susan Lalic

The redoubtable David Anderton, British Senior Champion

Reconstructing the moves

Peter Purland, surrounded by girls

British Chess Championships 2011 - results Championship

Rank Name

Score Fed. M/F Rating TPR

W-We 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

GM Adams, Michael

8.5 ENG

M 2715

2713

0.19 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½

GM Short, Nigel D

8.5 ENG

M 2687

2726

0.64 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1

GM Jones, Gawain C B

ENG

M 2606

2658

0.85 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1

IM Hawkins, Jonathan

ENG

M 2457

2613

2.28 1 ½ ½ 1 1 0 1 1 ½ 1

GM Howell, David W L

7.5 ENG

M 2625

2612

0.08 1 1 1 1 ½ 0 1 0 1 0

GM Pert, Nicholas

7.5 ENG

M 2555

2539

0.17 ½ 0 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½

GM Gormally, Daniel W

7.5 ENG

M 2519

2441

-0.68 1 1 0 ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1

GM Gordon, Stephen J

ENG

M 2533

2536

0.14 1 1 1 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½

GM Hebden, Mark L

ENG

M 2533

2385

-1.73 1 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1

GM Conquest, Stuart C

ENG

M 2519

2477

-0.39 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 ½ 0 0 1

GM Wells, Peter K

ENG

M 2489

2479

0.05 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 0

IM Palliser, Richard J D

ENG

M 2454

2372

-0.96 0 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 0 1

IM Zhou, Yang-Fan

ENG

M 2444

2369

-0.83 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 0 1

IM Houska, Jovanka

ENG

F 2418

2450

0.6

IM Buckley, Graeme N

ENG

M 2380

2393

0.29 1 0 0 ½ 1 1 1 0 1 ½ 1

IM Bates, Richard A

ENG

M 2373

2454

1.33 1 0 1 1 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 1

GM Williams, Simon K

6.5 ENG

M 2528

2377

-1.76 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 0 ½ 0 1

GM Summerscale, Aaron P

6.5 ENG

M 2415

2450

0.67 ½ 1 0 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 0

IM Rendle, Thomas E

6.5 ENG

M 2386

2391

0.29 1 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 0

FM Eggleston, David J

6.5 ENG

M 2318

2288

-0.38 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 1 0

FM Griffiths, Ryan Rhys

6.5 IRL

M 2301

2350

0.92 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 0 1 0

Adair, James R

6.5 ENG

M 2212

2408

2.67 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 ½ 1 1

Lalic, Peter D

6.5 ENG

M 1978

2313

4.51 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 1

IM Hunt, Adam C

ENG

M 2436

2352

-1.1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 0

IM Ledger, Andrew J

ENG

M 2435

2346

-1.14 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0

IM Ansell, Simon T

ENG

M 2410

2376

-0.39 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 0 ½ 0

IM Kolbus, Dietmar

GER

M 2335

2276

-0.96 0 1 ½ 1 0 0 0 1 1 1

FM Webb, Laurence E

ENG

M 2306

2194

-1.51 0 0 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1

IM Rudd, Jack

ENG

M 2278

2264

-0.25 0 1 1 1 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1

IM Lalic, Susan K

ENG

F 2277

2297

0.23 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 ½ ½

0 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1

British Chess Championships 2011 prizewinners & Champions

Under 140: 1st= Richard Bowman & Simon Watson 4½/5. Under 120: 1st= Shirdel Khosroabadi 4½/5 Weekend Atkins: 1st= John Carleton, Robert Newton & Stephen Orton 4/5 Weekend Soanes (U150/1700): 1st Richard Desmedt 5/5 Weekend Yates (U125/1450): 1st Pavan Murali 4½/5 Rapidplay 1: 1st Danny Gormally 5½/6 Rapidplay 2: 1st James Adair 5½/6

Prizewinners Mickey Adams and Nigel Short shared first place on 8½/11 with Mickey winning the two game rapid playoff for the title 1½-½. Gawain Jones and Jonathan Hawkins (second GM norm) finished on 8 and Danny Gormally, David Howell and Nick Pert finished on 7½. Jovanka Houska became British and English Womens Champion with 7/11 whilst David Howell became British Under 21 Champion, YangFan Zhou under 18 champion and Sheila Dines under 18 girls champion.

Champions U-180 Champion James M Foster U-180 Champion Jasper Tambini U-140 Champion Richard L Bowman U-140 Champion Simon Watson U-11 Champion Yang-Jian Zhou U-11 Girl Champion Eva Ressel U-11 Girl Champion Beatrice Steele U-8 Champion Aditya Verma U-8 Girl Champion Aishwarya Lutchman-Singh U-13 Champion Ananthanarayan Balaji U-13 Girl Champion Cosima C Keen U-16 Champion Craig Whitfield U-15 Champion Oskar A Hackner U-15 Champion Marcus Harvey U-16 Girl Champion Megan Owens U-16 Girl Champion Ali Roy U-15 Girl Champion Radha Jain U-9 Champion Anthony Zhang U-9 Girl Champion Stephanie du Toit U-10 Champion Akshaya Kalaiyalahan U-10 Boy Champion Anthony Zhang U-12 Champion Matthew Wadsworth U-12 Girl Champion Cosima C Keen U-14 Champion Roy Zhang U-14 Girl Champion Louise Head U-14 Girl Champion Katherine Shepherd U-160 Champion Roger Greatorex U-160 Champion Mark A Reynolds U-120 Champion Shirdel Khosroabadi Senior Champion David Anderton British Champion Michael Adams British Woman Champion Jovanka Houska U-21 Champion David Howell U-18 Champion Yang-Fan Zhou U-18 Girl Champion Sheila Dines English Champion Michael Adams English Champion Nigel Short English Woman Champion Jovanka Houska

Results from other sections: Seniors: 1st David Anderton 6½/7 Under 16: 1st Craig Whitfield 6/7 Under 14: 1st Roy Zhang 5½/7 Under 13: 1st Ananthanarayan Balaji 5½/7 Under 12: 1st Matthew Wadsworth 7/7 Under 11: 1st Yang-Jian Zhou 6/7 Under 10: 1st Akshaya Kalaiyalahan 6/7 Under 9: 1st Anthony Zhang 6/7 Under 8: 1st Aditya Verma 5½/6 In addition, the following prizes were awarded within the sections above: Under 16 girl: Megan Owens & Ali Roy Under 15 open: Oscar A Hackner & Marcus Harvey Under 15 girl: Radha Jain Under 14 girl: Louise Head & Katherine Shepherd Under 13 girl: Cosima Keen Under 12 girl: Cosima Keen Under 11 girl: Eva Ressel & Beatrice Steele Under 10 boy: Anthony Y Zhang Under 9 girl: Stephanie du Toit Under 8 girl: Aishwarya Lutchman-Singh Major Open: 1st= Arne Hagesaether, John Sugden & Nicholas Tavoularis 8/11 5 Day Morning Week 1: 1st Akash Jain 4½/5 5 Day Afternoon Week 1: 1st Christopher Doran 4/5 5 Day Morning Week 2: 1st= David Graham, Stephen Mitchell & Andrew Smith 4/5 5 Day Afternoon Week 2: 1st Andrew Smith 5/5 Under 180: 1st= James M Foster & Jasper Tambini 4/5 Under 160: 1st= Roger Greatorex & Mark Reynolds 4½/5 10

e2e4 Uxbridge Women’s International

A report and an annotated game from Amy Hoare, only recently received by the ECF e2e4 Uxbridge Women’s International 11-15th August 2010 Between 11th-15th August I played in a women’s ten player all-play-all tournament organised by Lawrence Cooper Director of International Chess. There were four other English players including WGM Susan Lalic, Sarah Hegarty, Lateefah Messam-Sparks and Sheila Dines, two players from Sweden, and one from Luxembourg, Scotland and Wales. My aims for the event were to gain experience and take advantage of the opportunity to play alongside other younger English female players. This was the line up: IM Lalic, Susan WIM Steil-Antoni, Fiona WIM Andersson, Christin Lang, Heather WFM Hegarty, Sarah WFM Horn, Emilia Dines, Sheila J WFM Blackburn, Suzie Messam-Sparks, Lateefah Hoare, Amy

2298 2193 2129 2059 2057 2009 1931 1916 1904 1904

(England) (Luxembourg) (Sweden) (Scotland) (England) (Sweden) (England) (Wales) (England) (England)

The top seed and pre-tournament favourite was Susan Lalic who won the tournament and as a result qualified for the 2010 London Chess Classic Women’s International. Both Sarah Hegarty and I finished on 5.5 and qualified for the 2010 Chess Classic Women’s International by finishing as the joint highest norm seekers. This was the final cross table:

I’ve chosen to annotate my game against WFM Emilia Horn played in Round 6. I’d like to thank a number of people: - Lawrence Cooper for inviting me to play in the tournament - E2e4 and Sean Hewitt for providing a free venue and arbiter - John Robinson Trust for their financial support 11

- Amy Hoare

{I'm not sure this was a great move. The knight is not forced to move yet. Maybe the simple 12...h6 or Qb6 might have been better} (12... Qb6+ 13. Kh1 h6 {and black is less defensive than after 12. ..Ne8}) 13. Qe1 {Rybka suggested 13. d4 Qc7 14.Kg2, which might have been better but I prefered to keep the centre closed as I had started my kingside attack.} Nc7 14. Qg3 f6 15. h4 (15. Be3 c5 16. g5 fxg5 17. Bxg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 {may have been a slightly better continuation for me}) 15... d5 16. g5 Be8 17. Qg4 (17. gxf6 Bxf6 18. Bg5 Kh8 19. Qxe5 Bxe5 20. Bxd8 Bxc3 21. Bxc7 Bxb2 22. Ra2 Bc3 23. Bd6 {also looks good}) 17... Qd6 18. Rf2 Nb5 19. Nxb5 cxb5 20. Be3 a5 21. g6 hxg6 (21... dxe4 {would have been better as after} 22. gxh7+Kxh7 23. dxe4 {white has no immediate threats}) 22. fxg6 f5 23. exf5 Rf6 24. Bg5 e4 25. Bxf6 Bxf6 26. dxe4 dxe4 27. Qxe4 Bc6 28. Qe6+ Qxe6 29. fxe6 Bxb2 30. Re1 {with a completely winning position} Re8 31. Kg2 Bc3 32. Re3

Amy Hoare vs Amelia Horn Round 6, Uxbridge Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 {The bishop's opening, which I have been playing for about 18 months. In fact, in this tournament there were quite a large number of games played using this opening.}

Nf6 3. d3 Nc6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. f4 O-O {A more normal move order is 5...d6 6. Nf3 0-0 7.0-0 but we arrived at the same position by transposition} 6. Nf3 d6 7. O-O Bg4 8. h3 {taking away black's potential pressure of the pin on my queen with follow up moves like Nd4. Here, I think Be6 looks more natural than Bd7 as it will not be blocked out the game with f5. } Bd7 (8... Be6 9. fxe5 Nxe5 10. Bb3) 9. f5 {cutting black's white squared bishop out of the game and preparing to attack with g4, g5.} Na5 10. Bb3 Nxb3 11. axb3 c6 12. g4 {starting the attack.} Ne8 {? A time trouble error that fortunately doesn't throw the win away.} Bd4 33. Rfe2 Bxe3 34. Rxe3 Kf8 35. Kg3 Ke7 36. Nd4 Kf6 37. h5 b4 38. Kf4 Bd5 39. Re5 Bc6 40. Rf5+ Ke7 41. Rf7+ Kd6 42. Nf5+ Kc5 43. Nxg7 Rd8 44. e7 Rd4+ 45. Kg5 Re4 46. h6 Re2 47. Rf5+ Kb6 48. h7 Rh2 49. Nh5 Rg2+ 50. Kf6 Rxc2 51. h8=Q a4 52. Qd8+ 1-0 Amy Hoare

Junior Chess

In the afternoon we went on an extended Rock Tour. We went through the newly reopened tunnel and had some time at Europa Point where they are completely revamping a formerly run down area. We then continued to the nature reserve on the rock where we explored St Michael’s Cave with its many stalactites and stalagmites.

Gibraltar Junior International Chess Festival Thursday 18th August The first Gibraltar Junior International Chess Festival started on Thursday 18th August. There are 62 players from 6 countries taking part, 38 in the U16s and 24 in the U12s. This number includes 3 British Champions, one runner up, 2 Spanish regional champions and one runner up. There are 27 Spaniards, 24 English, 6 Gibraltarians, 2 Hungarians, 2 Welsh and 1 Scot.

After the visit some of the kids decided to buy ice creams. Now there is a £500 fine for feeding the apes but the speed with which an ape removed Jamie Tilston’s ice cream I am sure no magistrate would convict him. The final visit was to the Great Siege Tunnels where we all had a good look round before heading back to the hotel via the City Centre. During the bus journeys we had a full commentary about the history of Gibraltar and the interesting places we passed en route.

Most players arrived Thursday morning and took what could be their only chance to go in to town for souvenir shopping. This was followed by a blitz tournament of 7 rounds with the following prize-winners:1st Gordon Scott, 2nd Craig Whitfield 3rd= Chris Yates, Ruben Valhondo Morales (Spain) U14 prizes 1st Henry Broadley 2nd= Adam A Taylor, Conrad Green U12 prizes 1st= Joshua Higgs, Kai Pannwitz (Scotland), Jorge Calvo Simon, Jon Lagos Lejarraga (both Spain).

We then had a break before dinner and the evening entertainment which was a simultaneous display by Jovanka Houska with Stuart Conquest taking on 14 adults. Jovanka very bravely took on 39 players but with time going on Daniel Eskabar and Stephen Hogg took some of the games over. Jovanka can claim that she won all the games she played right through although Jonathan Burch, Natalie Taylor and Chris Yates did record wins whilst Rohan Bansal, Alexei Davis, Raunak Rao, Gordon Scott, Daniel Sutton and Adam A Taylor gained draws.

This was followed by a reception on the terrace and evening meal Friday 19th August Today it was down to business. We had two rounds and, as expected, these were hard fought. In the U16s there were only 6 players on 2/2, three Spaniards and at this level we had three Anglo-Spanish clashes due on the Saturday morning.

Sunday 21st August Today was a double round day and in the morning at U16 there were wins on the top three boards for Gordon Scott, Ruben Valhondo Morales and Aiden McGiff which meant that in the afternoon Gordon was white against Ruben whilst Aiden (on 3½) floated down with black to play Adam C Taylor.

The top English players were Oskar Hackner, Gordon Scott and Adam C Taylor. The U12s had 5 perfect scores, four Spaniards and Stephen Whatley. In the evening GM Pia Cramling and her husband GM Juan Bellon gave a masterclass attended by over 50 parents and players and the games that were analysed kept the audience engaged for an hour.

The only other players on three were Oskar Hackner who had white against Efren Garcia del Campo. Unfortunately Gordon lost his game whilst Aiden leapfrogged in to second place by beating Adam C. Gordon was joined on 4 by Efren. As they had played the pairings were Jorge Santamartina Gonzalez v Gordon, Efren v Craig Whitfield and Jamie Tilston floating up to play Daniel Sutton.

Saturday 20th August At U16 Gordon won but Adam and Oskar lost whilst Stephen won in the U12s. In both tournaments there are 3 on a perfect score whilst at U16 Henry Broadley and Aidan McGiff are the only two players on 2.5. 13

At U12 Miguel Santos Ruiz and Alejandro Perez Garcia both won and played in the afternoon whilst

there were only three players on 3, Joshua Higgs who was white against Stephen Whatley and Jorge Calvo Simon who floated down with black and played David Iglesias Santos. Miguel won, Joshua beat Stephen whilst Jorge and David drew. This left the top pairings as Joshua(4) v Miguel (5), Alejandro (4) v Jorge (3.5) and also on 3.5 Kai Pannwitz v Rodrigo Iglesias Santos.

British Chess Magazine discount offer for ECF members

The evening event was a master class with Stuart Conquest and was very well attended. Stuart did some middle game positions leading to sacrifices and presented it in both Spanish and English Monday 22nd August Today was the final day and in each section we had a sole leader who only needed a draw to clinch first place.

is Britain’s leading chess magazine and the world’s oldest, having been published continuously since 1881. It appears twelve times per year, and each issue includes reports on recent tournaments, opening articles, interviews, instructional articles etc, as well as regular features on chess problems and endgame studies. The magazine caters for players of all strengths. BCM has been relaunched with a fresh team and new investment. The focus is very much on British chess, especially at the club level, whilst retaining strong coverage of British players’ exploits abroad. The content is written by enthusiasts for enthusiasts.

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They duly accomplished this leaving Ruben Valhondo Morales U16 Champion and Miguel Santos Ruiz U12 Champion. Runner up in the U12s was Alejandro Perez Garcia whilst Joshua Higgs was third. There was a close fight for the other prizes in the U16s. In the end Gordon Scott, Efren Garcia del Campo and Aiden McGiff shared the money for 2nd= with Gordon 2nd and Efren 3rd on tie break. Henry Broadley got the U14 prize

had a long and well-established collaboration with the BCF. Indeed it was owned by the BCF from August 1981 to July 1992 when FM Bernard Cafferty was editor of the magazine. Now all parties concerned wish to cement the relationship between the magazine and the English Chess Federation. BCM

- Peter Purland Director of Junior Chess and Education

From now on, members of the English Chess Federation are entitled to a 10% discount on their subscription to British Chess Magazine. The subscription web site is: https://subscribeme.to/BritishChessMagazine/, where ECF members can enter a promotional code to obtain their discounted subscription. If you are an ECF member and would like this code, email the webmaster (include your membership number, please) and he’ll provide you with it (webmaster@englishchess.org.uk) For further enquiries, the is +44 (0)1778 392042 14

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Grand Prix Leader Boards

Women’s Prix Name 1 Keen, Cosima C 2 Shepherd, Katherine M 3 Norman, Dinah M 4 Boztas, Lana 5 Purvis, Anna 6 Ivanov, Elizabeth 7 Ressel, Eva 8 Head, Louise 9 Wei, Naomi 10 Houska, Jovanka

The Grand Prix 2011-12 is under way. It introduces new Open and Women’s sections. This season’s Grand Prix will run for 13 months to take account of the revised grading year which ends on 30th June 2012. Here are the first Leader Boards of the 2011-12 Grand Prix. Note that players with underlined names are counting the maximum number of events Open Prix Name 1 Williams, Simon K 2 Gormally, Daniel W 3 Surtees, Mike J 3 Holland, James P 5 Bonafont, Philip R 6 Hawkins, Jonathan 7 Cutmore, David A 8 Milson, Samuel A 9 Arkell, Keith CC 10 Eggleston, David J 10 Merry, Alan B

Club/Area Sandhurst 4NCL Cheddleton Bolton Berkshire Junior Hemel Hempstead Consett Wood Green Louth Long Eaton Durham City Bury St Edmunds

Pts 322 316 294 294 287 282 272 259 256 246 246

Club/Area Three C’s Peterborough Claremont School Atherton Oswestry Cambridge City Wood Green Sheffield Grappenhall Hendon

Pts 294 280 269 253 249 242 240 239 200 198

Club/Area DHSS Wombwell Amber Valley Cambridge City Great Lever Greenlands Berkshire CA Huddersfield Leamington Stannington

Pts 469 459 443 385 304 283 279 245 235 205

Club/Area Kings Head Muswell Hill Battersea Scunthorpe West Nottingham Spondon DHSS Falmouth Morecambe Shifnal & Telford

Pts 348 297 285 285 265 245 237 220 215 215

Club/Area Beckenham & Bromley Bolton Cambridge City Portsmouth Coulsdon CF St Francis & Haywards Heath York RI East Grinstead Colwyn Bay Metropolitan

Pts 415 284 267 260 254 192 149 144 140 140

Name 1 Keen, Cosima C 2 Shepherd, Katherine M 3 Oyama, Akito 4 Zhou, Yang-Jian 5 Hackner, Oskar A 6 Kalavannan, Koby 7 Wadsworth, Matthew J 8 Holland, James P 9 Boswell, Jacob Connor 10 Milson, Samuel A

Graded Prix: U120 Name 1 Fraser, Alan R 2 Waddington, James 3 Oyama, Harunobu 4 Billett, Stephen J 5 Boztas, Lana 6 Everitt, David 7 Sriharan, Sri 8 Hall, James W 9 Camp, Andrew R 9 Baleani, Guido

Pts 353 351 336 325 318 309 302 294 279 259

Brendan O’Gorman - Chess Images

Graded Prix: 120-139 Name 1 Crouch, Timothy J 2 Costeloe, C Andrew J 3 Allen, Timothy S 3 Egan, William J 5 Dunne, David C 6 Brace, Peter 7 Gilbert, David J 8 Gardiner, Colin J 9 Horman, Paul A 9 Ross, Stuart

Club/Area Sussex Juniors Ashtead Cambridge City Coulsdon CF Rotherham Junior Surbiton * Maidenhead Berkshire Junior Cheddleton & Leek Louth

In the chess garden, new shoots (Tom Thorpe) and hardy perennials (Peter Wood) See Brendan’s work at https://picasaweb.google.com/bpogorman

Graded Prix: 140-159 Name 1 O’Gorman, Brendan 2 Desmedt, Richard E 3 Hartley, Dean M 4 Pride, Stephen C 5 Connor, Michael I 6 Wiggins, Andrew S 7 Norman, Dinah M 8 Clegg, Robert 9 Price, Andrew 10 Grobler, David

Pts 353 351 279 254 222 216 215 213 188 186

Junior Prix

Graded Prix: 160-179 Name 1 Burke, Mitchell R 2 Ilett, Raymond J 3 Tambini, Jasper 4 Mulleady, Peter J 5 Bryant, Richard BE 6 Davison, Chris 7 Cutmore, Martin J 8 Lally, Mike E 9 Jones, Steven A 10 Hjort, Helge

Club/Area Sussex Juniors Ashtead Berkshire CA Coulsdon CF Surrey Juniors Barnet Schools Chess Mates Northampton Berkshire Junior Essex * Wood Green, Hilsmk. Kingfisher

Confirmation of England teams for the European Team Championship

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I’m pleased to announce that the England teams for the 2011 European Team Championships are as follows:

Open: GM Michael Adams | GM Nigel Short | GM David Howell | GM Gawain Jones | GM Nick Pert Captain: to be confirmed

PRIVATE HEALTHCARE COVER • Potential savings of up to 50% for members and their immediate families. This figure is based on savings made by those who have joined HMCA using the transfer facility. • Over 70% of HMCA new subscribers transfer to HMCA from other healthcare providers! TRAVEL INSURANCE PLAN • Cover can be obtained for unmarried children up to the age 23 in a family plan. • Annual multi-trip European cover is £77.00 for a family. Annual multi-trip world-wide cover for a family is £115.00. • Cover may be taken out for certain pre-existing medical conditions for an extra premium after answering a few questions over the ‘phone. • Annual cover available up to the age 70 and single trip cover up to the age 75. DENTAL PLAN • Provides 24 hour world-wide cover and you will not be tied down to one dental practice. • Monthly subscription for a single person age 18 to 78 is £19.45. VEHICLE BREAKDOWN RECOVERY SERVICE • Represents excellent value for money. • Fully comprehensive breakdown cover is available for £7.67 a month for one car (any driver), reducing to £4.75 a month (per car) for a total of 4 cars all based at the same address.

Women: IM Jovanka Houska | IM Dagne Ciuksyte | WFM Maria Yurenok | WFM Kanwal Bhatia | WFM Sarah Hegarty Captain: Glenn Flear - Lawrence Cooper, Director of International Chess

LAKE DISTRICT CHESS HOLIDAYS

A relaxed, informal 5-night holiday at this wellknown Country House hotel, including a 7round Swiss competition and tutorials on chess tactics. Suitable for the inexperienced as well as local club players Rothay Manor, Ambleside Tel: 015394 33605 E-mail: hotel@rothaymanor.co.uk www.rothaymanor.co.uk/chess

HMCA CASH INCOME CARE, INCOME PROTECTION, PERSONAL ACCIDENT & TERM LIFE PLANS are also available for members and their immediate families. All plans carry a 30 day money-back guarantee and terms and conditions apply. Quoted subscription rates are correct as at 01/12/2010. To find out more and to apply online about any of the above benefit plans visit HMCA at www.hmca.co.uk/ecf.htm or ring on 01423 866985 16

Results Round-Up

International Round-Up

Golders Green Rapidplay results

FIDE World Cup 2011 28th August 20th September 2011 http://chess.ug raspor t.com/?pag e_id=261

Many thanks to all who played in the 10th September event – a record-breaking entry of 118!

The event is a 128 player knockout with the early rounds being played over two games with extra rapid and blitz games if the scores are still level. Mickey Adams won 1.5-0.5 against Mark Paragua in round 1 but was eliminated by the Danish grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen in round 2. The standard play games were both drawn and after a draw in the first rapid play game Mickey then lost with white in game 4 thereby losing 1.5-2.5.

Thanks to photographer Robert Konieczny we have a record of the event (and previous tournaments) at h t t p : / / w w w. ro b e r t - ko n i e c z ny. c o m / g o l d e rs green10092011/index.html and he would be happy to permit his photographs to be used, with credit, on your web page OPEN Andrew Stone 5.5/6 £60 John Richardson, Alan Merry, Robert Willmoth and Ravi Haria 4.5/6 £10 each Under 175 grading prize to Ashley Stewart (172) 4/6 Ravi Haria also wins a £30 voucher from Charlie’s Restaurant in Golders Green for his performance.

10th Sunny Beach Open, Bulgaria 27th Aug – 4th Sept 2011 http://www.sunnybeachchess.com/2011_results.html Gary Quillan scored 6.5/9 and Glenn Charleshouse 4.5. CCF Late Summer LP Congress 3-4 September 2011 http://www.ccfworld.com/Chess/Results/201109-04_LP.htm

MAJOR K Azizur Rahman 5/6 £60 Joseph Levene and Robert Konieczny 4.5/6 and £15 each The Under 155 grading prize went to Chris Clegg (148), Tristram Cole (150) and Joshua Cavendish (146) 3.5/6 and £10 each

Marcus Osborne won with 4.5/5 and also qualified for the 2012 British. Giampiero Amato, Robin Haladane and Julian Way shared second on 3.5. 1st Barclays International Chess Festival 4-11 Sept 2011 http://www.circoloscacchivitinia.net/wwwOpenA/ standing.html http://www.circoloscacchivitinia.net/wwwOpenA/ index.html

MINOR Tim Shallice (136) 5.5/6 £60 David McNish (133) 5/6 £30 Under 130 grading prize to Katherine Shepherd (126) and Genga Somupillai (128), 4/6 and £10 each David and Katherine Shepherd also win a £30 voucher for a meal in Charlie’s Restaurant!

Gawain Jones is on 4/6. 61st DCCA Paignton Congress 4-10 September 2011 http://www.chessdevon.co.uk/HTML/congresses/paignton/base.htm

AMATEUR Tony Bynnersley (111) 5/6 £60 = 2nd Victor Litvin (109) with 4.5/6 and also on 4.5/6, sharing the U105 grading prize – Robin Clarke (92), Marco Falasca (86) and Zoltan Kosma (58) 4.5/6 £10 each

The final results for the 61st Paington Congress are now available on the Chess Devon website at the web address above FSIM September Budapest HUN Sat 3rd Sep 2011 – Mon 12th Sep 2011 http://www.firstsaturday.hu/

25th Leamington Rapidplay 122 played in the 25th Leamington Rapidplay held on 11th September 2011 (Prize Fund £1200.00) Here are the results:

Mark Lyell is on 4.5/6. IM norm is 7.5/10 - Lawrence Cooper, Director of International Chess 17

Premier (U210) 1st: Richard Weaving 5/6 2nd=: Ryszard Maciol, Don Mason, Andrew Talbot,

12th Godalming Open Chess Tournament 2011

Ian Thompson 4/6 U180 Grading Prize: Dani Malik, Astghik Stepanyan, Alan Agnew Slow Starter Prize: Mark Page

69 players from the south east competed in this year’s tournament. There were four age group sections. The standard of play was excellent in all four sections with some outstanding performances from some of the players. The players all played in a sporting manner and were a credit to their parents and schools. Cash prizes were given to the top 3 players in the Under 18 section and a grading prize to the best player under grade 85. The prize winners were as follows -

Major (U175) 1st: Henrik Stepanyan 6/6 2nd= / U160 Grading Prize: Peter Davies, Ti Chen, Nikita Ayvazyan, David Ireland, Andy Price, Nigel Towers, Michael Doran 4/6 Slow Starter Prize: Philomena Lip Intermediate (U150) 1st= / U135 Grading Prize: Karl Forman, Ben Graff, Adrian Walker, Branko Pribanich 5/6 Slow Starter Prize: Eric Ward

1st Matthew McClachan (Yateley Manor) 5\5 2nd Daniel D’Souza Eva (Magdalen College School) 4\5 3rd= Luke Barry (Little Ealing) Scott Borland (Ardingly) Liam McKnight and Henry Philips (MCS) 3.5\5 Grading prizes were awarded to Harry Wood (Aldro) and Navdyta Aithani (MCS)3\5 Click the image to enlarge

Minor (U120) 1st: Joseph Friar 5.5/6 2nd=: John McKeon, Luke Boynton 5/6 U105 Grading Prize: Aron Buxton, Peter Housden 3.5/6 Slow Starter Prize: Richard Buxton

The age group trophy winners were as follows -

97th Richmond Rapidplay results

U.11 section 1st Girinath Haridas 5\5 2nd Edward Critchley (Great Walstead) 4\5 3rd= Stephen Darby (West Ashtead) and Andrew Smailes (Feltonfleet) 3\5

104 played in the 97th Richmond Rapidplay held on 11 September 2011, and prizes totalling £720 were awarded for the following results: Open 1st=: Yaroslav Orishko, Peter Lalic, Sam Franklin, Peter Roberson and Bogdan Lalic 4.5/6 U190 Grading Prize (and also 1st=): William Jones 4.5/6

U.10 section 1st Max French (Millfield) 5\5 2nd= Ayush Bose(Yateley Manor), Elizaveta Sheremetyeva (Rye St Anthony)and Nikolai Hinterreither (Ridgeway) 4\5

Major (U170) 1st=: Carl Boni and Akito Oyama 5/6 3rd: Mark Finch 4.5/6 U150 Grading Prize: Jake Liang and Tom Rixon 4/6

U.9 section 1st Omeet Atara (Yateley Manor) 5\5 2nd Alex Golding (Downsend) 4\5 3rd Laura Davidson (Coworth) 3.5\5

Intermediate (U135) 1st: Marcelino Sulatro 5.5/6 2nd: Peter Morton 5/6 3rd: Laurence Jones 4.5/6 U115 Grading Prize: Tony Bynnersley 4/6

The tournament was held at Aldro School and run by members of Godalming Chess Club. New members are always welcome and this year we will be putting 3 teams into the local Borders League. For information about joining the club please contact me on archerd@aldro.org

Minor (U100) 1st: Delroy Bennett 6/6 2nd: Daniel Varney 4.5/6 3rd=: Elizaveta Sheremetyeva, Nikolai Hinterreither, Zoe Varney and Barry Ruse 4/6 U80 Grading Prize: Lee Bullock 4/6

- D. J. Archer i\c chess at Aldro School 2nd Jorvik Congress 18

Held on 30th August – 1st September at Wheatlands

Lodge Hotel, York, an excellent venue. A 6-round Swiss event with 2 sections -

in advance and have their entry verified by the organisers, or if they enter on the day they will have to play in the Open tournament

Section A – 18 entries 1st – Alexander Combie, Newark – 6 2nd= Adam Ismail, York and Mike Taylor, Stockport – 4/6 4th= Graham Shepherd, Church Stretton and Mike Hankinson Sheffield.3.5/6 6th= Peter Leonard, Hebden Bridge; Eric Key, York; Norman Andrews; York and Siegrun MacGilchrist, Maybole – 3/5

42nd Thanet Chess Congress The 42nd Annual Thanet Chess Congress was held over the weekend at Canterbury Christchurch’s campus in Broadstairs. The Open section was won jointly by England International, Grandmaster Mark Hebden and by Kent’s FIDE Master Martin Taylor. Martin, who also won last year, retains the title of Kent Champion, whilst in other sections, George Assaf from Bridge Chess Club became the Kent Major Champion, and Reg Pidduck from Broadstairs was the inaugural winner of the Whitstable Oyster Shield.

Section B – 16 entries 1st= Steve Thacker, West Nottingham and Neville Pearce, York – 4.5/6 3rd= Alec Grice, Beverley; Paul Middleton, Northallerton; James Ruffles, Kings Lynn; Ranyl Hughes, York; Ralph Hewes, York – 4/6 8th= Cameron Blair, York; Richard White, Harrogate; William Egan, Scunthorpe – 3/6

RESULTS OPEN – 28 Players – £600 total prize fund 1st Equal -4.5 Mark Hebden Martin Taylor – Rainham (British Champ Qualifier) 3rd Equal 3.5 John Anderson – Grays/Thurrock David Cutmore – Wood Green Martin Cutmore – Folkestone Peter Wood – Lewisham Grading U-180 Martin Cutmore – Folkestone Kent Champion Martin Taylor – Rainham

A good, friendly event – we hope to run one at the same time again in 2012 Peter Cloudsdale | Tel: 01904 767177 Golders Green Rapidplay 6th August 2011 91 played OPEN Alan Merry 5/6 £60 John Richardson 4.5/6 £30 Under 175 Grading Prize: John Tobisch and Petr Vachtfeidl 3/6 £10 each

MAJOR (U165) – 36 Players – £380 total prize fund 1st Equal – 4 Georges Assaf – Bridge Ian McAllan – Sidcup John Lewin – Beckenham Grading U-150 George Hollands – Sportsman Kent Champion Georges Assaf – Bridge

MAJOR Under 170 Liz Potapova, Conrad Allison and Tony Wells 5/6 £30 each Under 155 Grading Prize: Adrian Joseph 4/6 £20 MINOR Under 145 Tim Shallice 5/6 £60 Andreas Forster (UNG) 5/6 £30 Under 130 Grading Prize: Simon Fischer (126) 4/6 £20 AMATEUR Under 120 Pavan Murali (111) 5/6 £60 Giacomo Bertozzi (UNG) 5/6 £30 Under 105 Grading Prize: Robin Nettleton 4/6 £20 PLEASE NOTE: In future, ungraded adults will have to enter the event

INTERMEDIATE (U135) – 36 Players – £295 total prize fund 1st – 4.5 JM Simonsen – Skodstrup, Denmark 2nd Equal – 4 Stephen Billett – Portsmouth C Andrew Costeloe – Muswell Hill Gavin Josephs – Dartford Grading U-125 Max Smith – Folkestone

ECF Counties Rapidplay

Kent Champion Gavin Josephs – Dartford

ECF Counties Rapidplay Chess Championships 2011-2012

MINOR (U115) – 26 Players – £235 total prize fund 1st – 4.5 Francis Pearce – CSC 2nd Equal – 4 Geoffrey Foxon – Unattached Anthony Holdstock – Dartford Grading U100 Mark Summers – Ashford Kent Champion Anthony Holdstock – Dartford

The ECF Counties Rapidplay Championships 201112, organised for the ECF by the SCCU, will be held on Saturday 24th September 2011 at Wanstead House, the normal venue for Essex home matches. A County may enter one or more teams of 12 players. The event will incorporate a Handicap Competition, based on the difference between actual and expected scores. The same team cannot win both competitions. The team winning the main competition will be awarded the ECF Counties Rapidplay Trophy. Venue: Wanstead House, 21 The Green, Wanstead, London E11 2NT Date and time: Saturday 24th September from 1.30 pm to 6.30 pm Download the entry form from the ECF website http://www.englishchess.org.uk/?p=13024

SPECIAL PRIZES – £25 Senior (60+) Reg Pidduck – Broadstairs Junior (U15) Michael Green – Woodnesborough OYSTER SHIELD Reg Pidduck – Broadstairs

National Club Championships

KENT LADIES CHAMPIONS None qualified

A message from Julie Johnson, National Club Chief Controller -

Silver medals for Britain in the world problemsolving championships

It’s that time of year again. You’ve had your summer break, the new gradings are out, so which section of the National Club is your club going to enter? Never thought about entering? Well, before you pass over this message just take a look.

The Great Britain team continued their outstanding recent record in the World Chess Solving Championships, by taking the silver medals in the latest event, being held this week in Jesi, Italy. The British team of John Nunn, Jonathan Mestel and Michael McDowell finished on a total of 154 points, out of a possible 180, ten points behind the winners, Poland. Dr John Nunn also took the silver medal in the individual event, behind Kacper Piorun of Poland.

The sections with an average grading approach means that many clubs should have some flexibility in the make up of a team and which section or sections they can enter. Team captains arrange dates for matches within a window of around 6-8 weeks per round and we try and keep travelling down in the early rounds for those who request it – although for some teams the fun of the event is travelling and playing against clubs they wouldn’t otherwise meet. Most matches are at weekends, but with scope to play mid-week if the opposing teams are close by. There is flexibility over time controls as well, if captains want to agree something different to the default they are free to do so. For more details see the entry form ( h t t p : / / w w w. e n g l i s h c h e s s . o r g . u k / w p content/uploads/2009/08/NCC-Entry-Form-201112.pdf)

The event included 20 teams and a total of 83 individual solvers. In addition to Nunn’s second place, Dr Jonathan Mestel finished 13th and Michael McDowell 46th. Another British representative in the individual event, though he was not part of the three-man team, was Dr Colin McNab, who finished 31st. The Great Britain team was once again generously sponsored by Winton Capital Management, with whose suport they have won a string of team and individual medals over recent years.

As the relatively new grading averages & limits do not seem to have presented huge problems, or requests for changes, we are sticking with the same thresholds. The

rules saw some revision last year, but nothing significant arose to warrant further changes, so the rules remain as they were. They can be found here http://www.englishchess.org.uk/?page_id=40#rules

Please also note – the South East Lancashire Summer League is celebrating its 50th year and is sponsoring one player from each club taking part in this year’s summer league.

We had some new teams entering last year’s events who enjoyed themselves and indicated they would enter again this season. Farnham were successful in winning the Major Plate at their first attempt. Your club could potentially do the same, or go one better & win the Championship in a section.

- David Holt cns, Denton Chess Club (http://www.dentonchessclub.co.uk/)

ECF Book of the Year shortlist The choice this year was difficult as the Judges received many books worthy of the Short List. Our choice shows the wide diversity of current chess writing and publishing.

The entry form lists controllers, but we haven’t allocated them to sections yet. This is because clubs to which they belong are considering entering teams, but haven’t decided which section. By retaining flexibility we can look to allocate controllers to a section that does not involve their own club.

Chess Lessons - Vladimir Popov Popov is a distinguished Russian chess coach whose most famous pupils are the leading women players, the Kosintseva sisters, whom he coached from an early age. In this book Popov demonstrates his teaching methods by identifying the various areas that led to their improvement and illustrates how to learn by examples based on his experiences with the sisters. There are also plenty of exercises for the reader.

Entries & payment should go to the ECF office rather than controllers. You can attach and email your entry form & pay the office over the phone by credit/debit card (the office phone number is on the back of the entry form), or use good old snail mail & cheque. The closing date for entries is 20th October.

Correspondence Chess in Britain and Ireland 18241987 - Tim Harding Based on his doctoral thesis and subsequently expanded into this book, Harding has produced a comprehensive history of a facet of chess playing which has its own set of values and leading exponents. The book is well illustrated with pictures and documents from the past and, as always with McFarland, beautifully printed.

Come on – don’t just presume it’s not for your club, raise it at your next club night. If you have any queries please feel free to contact me – juliedjohnson@yahoo.com or telephone me on 0116 2609012 - Julie Johnson, Chief Controller

Nunn’s Chess Endings Volume 2 - John Nunn This second volume completes Nunn’s major work on practical end game tactics. At first glance the pages of analysis looks forbidding, but on closer inspection a world of chess subtlety is revealed by Nunn’s painstaking analysis.

Denton Chess Club – Nigel Short simul On the 22nd of October this year, Denton Chess Club has the honour of hosting a simultaneous display by Mr. Nigel Short MBE. The event will also be attended by Mr. CJ de Mooi, President of the English Chess Federation. The event will start at 4.00pm with a talk by Nigel Short MBE. The simultaneous will take place immediately afterwards!

The Joys of Chess - Christian Hesse It is difficult to describe this remarkable book in a few sentences. The author is a Professor of mathematics who has an interest in the correlations of chess with the wider world. Nearly a hundred short essays, introduced by quotations from many sources cover almost every aspect of the game. Two examples only give an idea of the range: “Death at the Board” (literally) and “The theory of relative beauty”. There are hundreds of positions, games and problems of all types.

Venue: The Ukrainian Club, 215 Stockport Rd, Ashton-Under-Lyne OL7 0NP The cost at the moment is £40 to play or £5 entry We hope to reduce the cost to players through sponsorship of the event. To book a place please call David Holt – 0161 344 2205/07510209215 or email davidholt@dentonchessclub.co.uk

- Ray Edwards, Julian Farrand, David Friedgood 31 August 2011

The ChEx Bookshelf

In addition to being a respected author and grandmaster, Averbakh can boast a CV that includes:

Each issue in this column, Chief Executive Andrew Farthing introduces a noteworthy book of interest to the average player

• International Judge of Chess Compositions • International Arbiter (including the 1984-85 KarpovKasparov match) • President of the USSR Chess Federation (1972-77) • Editor of the Russian chess magazines Shakmatny biuletin and Shakmaty v SSSR for nearly three decades from 1962 • Trainer and second to Tigran Petrosian and Vassily Smyslov during world championship campaigns and sparring partner for Mikhail Botvinnik

HISTORY’S WITNESS

Born on 8 February 1922, this is a man who has witnessed chess history from the inside for nearly threequarters of a century. It is a cause for considerable delight, therefore, that Averbakh has found time to pen a personal memoir, Centre-Stage and Behind the Scenes (New in Chess; 2011). This is a typically high-quality publication from New in Chess, smoothly translated by Steve Giddins, with a generous helping of black-and-white photographs. There are no chess games or positions in this book. In fact, if anything, the author skates over his playing career, going beyond brief comments only for the most notable highlights, such as the Candidates Tournament and his most successful appearances at the USSR Championships. Whilst it is true that fourfifths of the book comes under the section heading, “Only Chess...,” it is by no means always Averbakh’s own chess that is alluded to. This is no Korchnoi, playing and playing for love of the battle. Averbakh admits this when explaining why he made the switch from player to editor:

Yuri Averbakh has an interesting place in chess history. For the younger generation, the name may be unfamiliar. For the rest, I suspect that Averbakh’s achievements as a grandmaster – 10th equal in the legendary 1953 Candidates Tournament, USSR Champion in 1954 (and equal first in 1956, coming second in the play-off) – are overshadowed by his reputation as an author of endgame books, including the much-reprinted Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge (1966) and the rather daunting 5-volume series, Comprehensive Chess Endings. Such was the impact of Averbakh’s endgame texts that, when Cadogan published a collection, Averbakh’s Selected Games, in 1998, most reviewers found themselves commenting on the relatively high percentage of sharp games. Everyone’s expectations, it seems, were that the book would showcase the work of a top technician. The author’s own gentle assertion in the Foreword that he was a player with a universal style, strong in both attack and defence, showed that he was all too aware of his reputation.

“By character I was a chess researcher. Playing itself did not particularly interest me, although I cannot say that I played without pleasure. The main thing was that I never obtained great pleasure from winning. I did not have that emotional reaction which drives sportsmen in the event of success. [...] On the other hand I did not like to lose and the bitterness of defeat was in no way compensated for by the pleasure of winning.” To this reader’s mind, this adds to the value of the book. What is offered is an observer’s insight, perhaps less influenced by the memories of battles won and lost and potentially to be fought again on the printed page. Averbakh’s account emerges as knowledgeable and balanced, even if inevitably not objective.

It is quite clear, for example, that the author was not fond of Korchnoi, whose behaviour while a Soviet cit-

man, trying to survive in an indecent society – far worse than that during the Stalin years – yet even he emerges occasionally as someone who acted in a way that in retrospect he might regret.

izen must have been a constant headache to those in an official capacity like Averbakh who wanted a quiet life, and Karpov, whom the author depicts as a man with, at best, an unfortunately selective memory. Smyslov, on the other hand, was clearly long-time friend, as was Petrosian, although Averbakh is not blind to his weaknesses.

Ultimately, my sympathies fell squarely with those, like Averbakh, who did what they could to survive while managing, most of the time, to behave like human beings. Other figures, such as Nikolay Krogius, struggle to appear any better than monsters.

On the whole, however, I found myself trusting the author’s depictions simply because they could be at times full of praise, at others quite critical. The portrait of Botvinnik may illustrate this best. In the section, Portrait of a Champion, Botvinnik’s human qualities emerge in a way that I had rarely seen before:

This is a fascinating book. At a stroke, it joins Botvinnik’s Achieving the Aim and Korchnoi’s Chess is my Life in the select group of chess memoirs which grip the reader and offer an insight into a hugely significant but long hidden chapter of chess history. Previously, it was necessary to be either a defector (Korchnoi) or a loyal and unassailable legend (Botvinnik) to be able to speak with any frankness of chess life and politics in the Soviet Union. Now, of course, the freedom to speak exists, but so many of the witnesses to events have gone. We are fortunate that 89-year-old Yuri Averbakh has lived to tell his tale. The book is not perfect. The impressionistic structure (over 120 sections) did not always work well for me, and I could have wished for an index which covered more than individuals’ names. The final pages, describing a time when perhaps Averbakh was more on the outside of events than before, struck me as of less interest, with a higher hearsay quotient than before.

“[...] as a conversationalist, he simply charmed me. His outlook on things was non-standard, original, sometimes even paradoxical. He spoke sensibly, logically, sought to capture the essence of things.” In the same paragraph, however, we read: “But once, I tried to dispute something, and immediately I ran into a brick wall. My conclusions did not interest him at all, as he considered his own views to be the last word.” This latter comment is consistent with other accounts of Botvinnik, whose reputation for unbending faith in his own judgement – an opinion once formed, never to be changed – and a world champion’s gift for never forgiving a perceived insult has been well documented. Averbakh does not shy away from this side of Botvinnik’s character, and as the book proceeds, the examples multiply of what the author clearly perceives as hypocrisy, when Botvinnik demonstrates that his rigidity of position may apply only when it suits his purposes. Botvinnik’s distrust of others also comes across; in a society in which paranoia is a basic survival technique, the following anecdote stands out:

These are quibbles, however. Centre-Stage and Behind the Scenes does not come cheap (€28.90). Nevertheless, set aside your latest volume on the Sicilian Defence and take a few hours to wallow in the history of our wonderful game. When you return to the board, you will be richer for it.

“Once, on a Sunday, my wife arrived at the Botvinniks’ dacha, bringing with her a fresh cake from the Café Nacional, in those days famous for the quality of its confectionaries. One had to see how well this was received by all those at the table, except for the host, who did not touch it. Only in the evening, when the cake again appeared at the dinner table, did he eat any, having satisfied himself that there was nothing untoward with those who had eaten it at lunchtime!” Make no mistake: the account of life in the Soviet Union is no picnic. Apart from the endemic paranoia, tales of manoeuvres to avoid blame for failures, orders from the political machine and backstabbing behaviour are rife. Averbakh presents himself as a largely decent

Yuri Averbakh in 2008

Book Reviews from Gary Lane

well. A good survey of the Rossolimo Sicilian for tournament players.

The Rossolimo Sicilian by Victor Bologan Published by New in Chess £19.99

What is the capital of Moldova? This question was posed by the affable player from that country at last year’s World under 20 championship to prove the point that we all knew about the chess star Bologan but not much else about his country. In this book the opening examined in depth revolves around the moves 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5. The idea is that you avoid plenty of other opening variations such as the Classical, Kalashnikov, Löwenthal and Sveshnikov amongst others. Therefore, those with limited time to study can seek to avoid having to learn numerous other lines and still play to a high standard. Now one never knows what to expect from a very strong player rated 2656 who writes an opening book. After all Karpov has done a number of such books usually with the help of another writer which have led to a lot of critics dismissing the product as being lightweight. The simple truth is that very top players are busy and just don’t have the time to devote themselves to writing a book when they can earn more money in a single tournament when you take into account the appearance fee and prize money. In the introduction he gives us an English connection by writing “…I especially liked the filigree handling of 3 Bb5 by Michael Adams…”, which is an astounding use of the language because I can’t recall seeing such a clever sentence for some time but our own Steve Giddens provided the expert translation. On a technical point I took him as his word and looked up Adams’s use of 3 Bb5 against Simon Williams at the British Championship in 2011. However, despite the line being played in numerous games Bologan dismisses it with 13 moves on page 74 and adds that Black has a very solid position. The truth is that Fritz finds the obvious improvement 12 exd5 after two seconds so why didn’t Bologan notice? I guess the problem is that to cover everything would require an immense effort so he presents a repertoire for White based on the main lines, which he does very

The Joys of Chess: Heroes, Battles & Brilliances by Christian Hesse Published by New in Chess £24.99 There are numerous titles to improve your game but if you just want to have fun then chess trivia books are the ones that are likely to be read on a train or plane or just a lazy Sunday. The author has compiled a whopping 432 pages of entertainment to keep people amused with stories, studies, facts and various things. A good comparison might be The Complete Chess Addict or if you have a good memory (and this is one for the teenagers) then Fred Reinfeld’s Fireside Book of Chess. A word of warning though because if you are doing a PHD on the history of chess you will not pass with this book because the vast majority of content has been copied from other sources so cannot strictly be relied upon and eight pages for the bibliography is understandable. This does at least explain some odd comments because it is given as a fact that for example “All in all Akiba Rubinstein played 1985 tournament games in his life, of which 1763 had rook endgames.” It is such an obvious joke that one wonders how it got through into print. After all the German edition was published in 2006 and surely somebody with a sense of humour spotted it? If you are keen then the amusing line has appeared in various sources such as Irving Chernev’s The Chess Companion. I think to be fair to sort though the mammoth collection and find the truth would take ages so I can appreciate the author’s approach not to give his exact sources. I really enjoyed browsing through the material and the historical backdrop of famous names. For sheer entertainment value The Joys of Chess deserves a gold medal.

Declining the Queen's Gambit by John Cox Published by EverymanChess £15.99 This is designed for players of the black pieces who

want to take on the Queen’s Gambit. The English author proposes a repertoire for Black based on the Tartakower Variation and the Lasker Variation. The idea is that Black is provided with answers to all White’s main options so that one can survive any weekend tournament. As usual Cox is a diligent writer who does his best to present new ideas and defences for Black in established lines. An excellent guide to declining the queen’s gambit.

The English Chess Federation

Certificate of Merit

The Certificate of Merit (COM) is centred on a number of online tests, which enable chess students to measure their progress and to earn certificates and badges. The tests are taken entirely online, and payments for the credits can be made online or by cheque. Examinees can practice as many times as they wish before they take the CoM test. All questions are multiple-choice, and the result comes through automatically - the certificate is issued by email and the button badge for the particular level is sent out by the ECF Office shortly afterwards. Please see the shop on the ECF website www.englishchess.org.uk for details of purchase of the full package or individual items.

BATSFORD Chess Competition

Each credit costs £6 or £150 for 30. Once a student has paid for a credit, he or she can then take the test as many times as necessary until a pass is achieved.

Well done to the July / August winner -- John Doidge of Newton Abbott! The correct answer was - 1. Ra7 Here’s the next problem ... George J Slater, British Chess Magazine 1890

Students can track each question answered wrongly and find out the correct answer. The answers now have an explanation included (where appropriate) There is also a package available of many goodies - for details, go to www.certificateofmerit.org.uk For further information contact the ECF Office: 01424 775222 / com@englishchess.org.uk www.certificateofmerit.org.uk

White to play and mate in 2 ... Please send your answer (just the first move is sufficient) on a postcard or by email to the ECF Office, The Watch Oak, Chain Lane, Battle, East Sussex TN33 0YD (office@englishchess.org.uk). The first correct entry drawn on 10th November 2011 will win a Batsford voucher for any book on their current list! 25

Tournament Calendar

LEGEND â&#x20AC;&#x201C; # @ * ~

British Championships qualifying tournament FIDE rated ECF Grand Prix ECF graded event

All congresses graded by the ECF are part of the official Grand Prix ~ 23-25 Sep 5th Whitby Chess Congress, The Conservative Club, Upgang Lane, Whitby, N. Yorkshire YO21 3DT Contact: Noel Boustred Tel: 07903913786 after 6pm Email: nboustred@googlemail.com ~ 23-25 Sep 47th Northumberland County Chess Congress, The Parks Leisure Centre, Howdon Road, Royal Quays, North Shields NE29 6TL Contact: Lara Barnes Email: larabarnes@btinternet.com Open, Ian Lambie Major, Nora Hunter Minor and all-new Foundation ~ 24 Sep ECF Counties Rapidplay Championship 2011-12, Wanstead House, 21 The Green, Wanstead, London E11 2NT Contact: David Smith Email: davidandjanesmith@ntlworld.com 24 Sep NYCA U18 & U14 Tournament, Telford Contact: Kevin Stavely Email: info@nyca.org.uk - 4 Round Jamboree 24 Sep MCCU Club Rapdiplay Handicap, Rearsby Village Hall, Rearsby, Leicestershire Contact: Cyril Johnson Email: mccuchess@yahoo.co.uk Tel: 0116 260 9012 24 Sep Chess Training Day, Clifton Green Primary School, Kingsway, York YO30 6JA Contact: Peter Cloudsdale Email: cloudsdale_c@hotmail.co.uk - Sabrina Chevannes, Woman FIDE Master will provide chess training for young players of any ability ~* 24-25 Sep 1st Fareham Congress, The Bugle Hotel, Titchfield Contact: Norman Went Email: spectrumchess@hotmail.com Website: http://www.spectrumchess.com 5 round Swiss, 3 tournament sections, Premier Under 205, Major Under 165 and Minor Under 125 ~ 25 Sep 43rd Barnet Knights Junior Tournament, QEB Boys School, Queens Road, Barnet EN5 4DQ Contact: Rob Willmoth Email: robwillmoth@hotmail.co.uk - London Junior Qualifier split into age group sections for under 8, under 10, under 12 and under 14 ~* 25 Sep 29th Annual Keynsham Rapidplay, Fear Institute Contact: Lawrence Wilmshurst Email: lol.46@live.co.uk entrants play six 50-minute games. Further information and an application form can be had from Lawrence Wilmshurst on 01275 834659 @# 30 Sep-2 Oct Leicester Chess Congress (H E Atkins Memorial), Regent College, Regent Road, Leicester LE1 7LW MAP Contact: Sean Hewitt Email: sean@leicesterchess.co.uk Website: www.leicesterchess.co.uk Organisers Address: 267 Adswood Road, Stockport, Cheshire SK3 8P 5 round Swiss with three sections, including a FIDE rated open 1 Oct CCF Open Rapid Play, 84-90 Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, Surrey CR5 3BA Contact: Scott Freeman Email: chess@ccfworld.com Tel: 020 8645 0302 Fax: 020 8645 0412 Website: http://www.ccfworld.com/Chess/ ~* 1-2 Oct Castle Chess - 1st Dudley, The Quality Hotel, Birmingham Road, Dudley, W Midlands DY1 4RN Contact: Tony Corfe Email: tony@tcs-chess.demon.co.uk - Open (incl U180), Major u160 (incl U140), Minor U120 (incl U100) Entry Fee ÂŁ26 Enquiries: Marc Shaw 07947 813303 Website: www.castlechess.co.uk 26

1-2 Oct Lothian’s Congress, Wester Hailes Education Centre, Edinburgh EH14 2SU MAP Contact: David Marshall Email: david.marshall1304@blueyonder.co.uk Four sections – Open, Challenger (graded up to 2000), Major (graded up to 1700), Minor (graded up to 1400) Entry form: http://www.chessscotland.com/membership/EntryForms/111001Lothians.pdf Website: http://www.chessscotland.com/tournament.php?tid=66193942 2 Oct York Junior Chess Congress, Cundall Manor School, Helperby, York YO61 2RW Contact: John Hipshon Email: jr.hipshon@ntlworld.com Website: www.yorkshirejuniorchess.co.uk ~ 2 Oct Herts Schools London Junior Qualifier, Bowmansgreen Primary School, Telford Road, London Colney, St. Albans AL2 1PH Contact: HSCA Email: HSCA@live.co.uk - Junior Championships with U8, U10, U12 and U14/16 sections and a qualifier for the London Junior Chess Championships, also running our popular 'Beginners Coaching' tournament ~ 2 Oct Steve Jacquest Memorial Rapidplay (12th Ormskirk Rapidplay), Ormskirk Contact: James Rothwell Email: ormskirkrapidplay@projectchess.com Three sections – Major (U180), Inter (U140) and Minor (U100) Website: http://ormskirkchessrapidpay.webs.com/ Entry form: http://ormskirkchessrapidpay.webs.com/Entry%20form.pdf ~ 3 Oct-5 Mar 2011/2012 Wiltshire Chess Championship, Brown Jack, 1 Prior Hill, Wroughton, Wiltshire SN4 0RT Contact: Tony Ransom Email: chesssalsa@aol.com 4-6 Oct Coastal Chess Congress, The Mount Hotel, Cliff Bridge Terrace, SCARBOROUGH, North Yorkshire YO11 2HA MAP Contact: Peter Cloudsdale Email: cloudsdale_c@hotmail.co.uk - a Swiss competition of 6 rounds with 90 minutes each on the 7-9 Oct Isle of Man Chess Congress, Cherry Orchard Aparthotel, Port Erin, Isle Of Man Contact: Alan Robertson Email: alanbruce@manx.net | Website: www.iomchess.com/congress2011 - supported by www.visitisleofman.com ~* 7-9 Oct 48th Hull Chess Congress, The Endsleigh Centre, 481 Beverley Road, Hull HU6 7LJ Contact: Steve King Email: sales@haworthcomputers.co.uk *~#@ 7-9 Oct e2e4 High Wycombe Congress, De Veres Uplands House, Four Ashes Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP15 6LB Contact: Sean Hewitt Email: info@e2e4.org.uk Tel: 0845 463 9798 Website:www.e2e4.org.uk/high_wycombe – A 5 round swiss including a FIDE rated Open, FIDE rated Major and ECF graded Minor set amidst beautiful Chiltern countryside and landscaped gardens overlooking the Hughenden Valley ~ 8 Oct Golders Green Rapidplay, Golders Green Parish Church Hall, West Heath Drive, Golders Green, London NW11 7QG Contact: Adam Raoof Website: http://goldersgreenchess.blogspot.com/ ~ 9 Oct Cambridgeshire Rapidplay, Memorial Hall, Whittlesford, Cambridge CB22 4NE Contact: Paul Kemp Email: paulkemp64@gmail.com - five rounds, three tournaments: Open; Under-160; and Under-120 £600 prize fund # 14-16 Oct 44th West Wales Congress, The Glamorgan Arms, Pontlliw, Swansea Contact: Les Philpin Email: newsilure@hotmail.com 5 round Swiss tournament with Open, Major and Minor sections ~ 14-16 Oct Bournemouth Chess Congress, Bournemouth International Hotel, Bournemouth BH2 5DL Contact: Norman Mackie Email: norman.mackie@btinternet.com 14-16 Oct Dundee & Angus Congress, David Lloyd Leisure, Ethiebeaton Park, Monifieth DD5 4HB Contact: Keith Rose Email: director@dundee-congress.co.uk - Open, Major (157 or below), Minor (122 or below). Entry fees - £22, 27

£20, £18 Entry by online form/email (pay on arrival) or standard entry form Entry form: www.dundee-congress.co.uk/onlineForm.htm Website: www.dundee-congress.co.uk 15 Oct CCF Junior Rapid Play - LJCC Qualifier, 84-90 Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, Surrey CR5 3BA Contact: Scott Freeman Email: chess@ccfworld.com Tel: 020 8645 0302 Fax: 020 8645 0412 Website: http://www.ccfworld.com/Chess/ *~ 15 Oct Poplar Rapid-Play Tournament, Langley Hall, Saint Nicholas’ Church Centre, Aberfeldy Street, Poplar, London E14 0QD Contact: Norman Went Email: docklandschess@yahoo.co.uk Website: www.spanglefish.com/docklandschessclub 15-16 Oct 4NCL Team and Individual Rapidplay Championships, De Vere Harben House (http://www.devere.co.uk/our-locations/harben) Contact: Mike Truran Tel: 01993 708645 ~#@ 16-22 Oct 37th Guernsey International Chess Festival, Peninsula Hotel, Guernsey Contact: Fred Hamperl Email: hamperlfred@hotmail.com Website: http://www.guernseychessclub.org.gg/festival/festival.htm ~ 21-23 Oct 35th Scarborough Chess Congress, The Ocean Room Spa Complex, South Bay, Scarborough Contact: Maggie Butterworth Telephone: 01226 211501 (before 9pm) Email: scarboroughchess@gmail.com Website: www.scarboroughchesscongress.co.uk ~* 22 Oct London Rapid Play, Cardinal Hinsley Mathematics & Computing College, Harlesden Road, Willesden, London NW10 3RN Contact: Sainbayar Email: londonrapidplay@yahoo.co.uk - Junior ('2Get My First Grade' with 5 sections - U8, U10, U12, U14 & U18 with trophy), U130, U165 & open sections with prizes Website: www.londonrapidplay.co.uk ~* 22 Oct Sussex Junior Worth Rapidplay, Worth School, Paddockhurst Road, Turners Hill, West Sussex RH10 4SD Contact: Paula Payne Email: entrymanager@sussexjuniorchess.org Website: http://www.sussexjuniorchess.org/ Entry form: http://www.sussexjuniorchess.org/Forms/GP2Oct2011.pdf - LJCC qualifier, 6 rounds, 4 sections: U8, U10, U12, U18. Open to all aged under 18 on 31st August 2011 ~ 22 Oct Chipping Sodbury Rapidplay, Chipping Sodbury Town Hall, Broad St., Chipping Sodbury BS37 6AD MAP Contact: Graham Mill-Wilson Email: tugmw@blueyonder.co.uk – a 6 round tournament in (probably) 3 sections, with 25 mins. on the clock per round ~* 23 Oct 15th Birmingham & District Chess League Rapidplay, Quinborne Community Centre, Ridgacre Road, Quinton, Birmingham B32 2TW MAP Contact: Alex Holowczak Email: alexholowczak@gmail.com Website: http://birminghamchess.org.uk/ Open, Under 175, Under 150 & Under 125 sections @#~ 26-30 Oct e2e4 London Gatwick Premier, Crowne Plaza, London-Gatwick Airport, Langley Drive, Crawley RH11 7SX Contact: Sean Hewitt Email: info@e2e4.org.uk Tel: 0845 463 9798 Website: ww.e2e4.org.uk/international/2011/Gatwick_Oct/ index.htm - a 9 round FIDE rated Swiss, good for GM / IM norms open and open to all players @#~ 26-30 Oct e2e4 English Seniors, Crowne Plaza, London-Gatwick Airport, Langley Drive, Crawley RH11 7SX Contact: Sean Hewitt Email: info@e2e4.org.uk Tel: 0845 463 9798 Website: www.e2e4.org.uk/seniors Entry form: www.e2e4.org.uk/seniors/2011/Gatwick_Oct/English_Seniors.pdf - A 5 round, one game per day, FIDE rated Swiss, open to all players born before 1st January 1952 ~@ 26-30 Oct CCF FIDE Super League, 84-90 Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, Surrey Contact: Scott Freeman Email: chess@ccfworld.com Website: http://www.ccfworld.com/Chess/ChessClubHome/SL%20FIDE%20Explain.htm - open only to those with FIDE Ratings on 1 September 2011 Entry form: http://www.ccfworld.com/Chess/ChessClubHome/WinterMember2011-12.htm 28

~ 29 Oct Oxford University Rapidplay, St Hugh's College, St Margaret's Road, Oxford OX2 6LE Contact: Erik Thornblad Email: rapidplayoxford2011@gmail.com Tel: 07836 593600 Website: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~chess/rapidplay.shtml Entry form: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~chess/OUCC%20Rapidplay%202011%20Entry%20Form.pdf - Six rounds, two sections (Open/U170) Entry fees: £17/£12 ~*# 29-30 Oct 29th Bury St Edmunds Congress, The Apex, Bury St Edmunds Contact: Bob Jones Email: bobjoneschess@btinternet.com Website: www.buryleaguechess.org.uk/congress2011 - Four sections: Open, Major (u170), Intermediate (u145), Minor (u120) ~@ 4-6 Nov Central London Chess Congress, Beit Quad, Imperial College Union, South Kensington, London SW7 2BB Contact: John Sargent Email: johnsargent@gmail.com Website/entry form: http://union.ic.ac.uk/chess - 5-round weekend longplay tournament *~ 4-6 Nov Preston Chess Congress, University Of Central Lancashire Contact: Malcolm Peacock Email: malcolm@mpeacock.demon.co.uk | Entry form: http://chess.popmalc.org.uk/congress 4-6 Nov Hampshire Individual Championships, Eastleigh College, Chestnut Avenue, Eastleigh SO50 5FS Contact: John F Wheeler Tel: 023 9237 9905 Email: john.wheeler@care4free.net Website: www.hampshirechess.co.uk 6 Nov NYCA U16 & U12 Tournament, Telford Contact: Cyril Johnson Email: info@nyca.org.uk - 3 Round Jamboree *~ 7-11 Nov 12th Beacon Seniors Congress, Royal Beacon Hotel, Exmouth Contact: R. H. Jones Email: jones_r53@sky.com Website: keverelchess.com - sections for 60+ players (Seniors - age on the day) and 50+ ('Juniors' up to Seniors' lower limit, 1 game per day at a leisurely rate) ~ 12 Nov Golders Green Rapidplay, Golders Green Parish Church Hall, West Heath Drive, Golders Green, London NW11 7QG Contact: Adam Raoof Website: http://goldersgreenchess.blogspot.com/ 12 Nov MCCU Junior Individual Championships, Syston Chess Club, Rearsby Village Hall, Rearsby, Leicestershire Contact: Cyril Johnson Email: mccuchess@yahoo.co.uk Tel: 0116 260 9012 12-13 Nov 4NCL Rounds 1 and 2, De Vere Venues, Staverton Park (Divisions 1 and 2), Barcelo Hotel, Daventry (Division 3) Contact: Mike Truran Tel: 01993 708645 Contact address: The Old Farmhouse, 7 Church Street, Ducklington, Witney OX29 7UA ~ 12-13 Nov Cambridgeshire County Chess Championship, PSL Club, 659 Lincoln Road, New England, Peterborough PE1 3HA Contact: Francis Bowers Email: Chessbower@aol.com - A 5-round Swiss tournament limited to Cambridgeshire players only 12-13 Nov 4NCL Northern League, Barcelo Redworth Hall Contact: Mike Truran Tel: 01993 708645 Contact address: The Old Farmhouse, 7 Church Street, Ducklington, Witney OX29 7UA ~* 13 Nov Bolton Rapidplay, Ukrainian Sports & Social Club, 99 Castle St, Bolton BL2 1JP Contact: Rod Middleton Email: gmccacongress@yahoo.co.uk ~*# 18-20 Nov 45th Torbay Chess Congress, Riviera International Conference Centre, Torbay, Devon Contact: Raymond W Chubb Email: ray.chubb@care4free.net Website: www.chessdevon.co.uk 19-20 Nov British Rapidplay Chess Championships 25th Anniversary, Leeds Metropolitan University Tel: 0113 2662330 Contact: Brent Kitson Email: applebr.kitson@sky.com Website: www.british-rapidplay.org.uk *~ 19 Nov Poplar Rapid-Play Tournament, Langley Hall, Saint Nicholas’ Church Centre, Aberfeldy Street, Poplar, London 29

E14 0QD Contact: Norman Went Email: docklandschess@yahoo.co.uk Website: www.spanglefish.com/docklandschessclub ~* 20 Nov Richmond Rapidplay 98, The White House, The Avenue, Hampton, TW12 3RN Contact: James Coleman Website: http://www.surreyrapidchess.org Email: rapidplay@aol.com ~* 20 Nov Sussex Junior Horsham Rapidplay, Farlington School, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 3PN Contact: Paula Payne Email: entrymanager@sussexjuniorchess.org Website: http://www.sussexjuniorchess.org/ Entry form: http://www.sussexjuniorchess.org/Forms/GP3Nov2011.pdf - 6 rounds, 4 sections: U11 Minor, U11 Major, U18 Minor, U18 Major. Open to all aged under 18 on 31st August 2011 For a more comprehensive calendar updated constantly, visit the ECF website www.englishchess.org.uk